Ramsay Hunt Syndrome -Case report on two cases-

Ramsay Hunt 증후군 -2예 보고-

Involvement of the facial nerve(herpes zoster oticus, Ramsay Hunt Syndrome) is a rather common clinical syndrome. It begins with unilateral ear pain, followed shortly by a peripheral facial palsy. Paresis or paralysis may affect the muscles of facial expression, which also close the eyelids. The levator palpebrae which is innervated by the 5th cranial nerve is spared, so the eye may remain open. The rash is usually confined to the tympanic membrane and the external auditory canal. It may spread to involve the outer surface of the lobe of the ear, anterior pillar or the fauces and mastoid. There also may be a loss of taste in the anterior two thirds of tongue. At time, the auditory nerve involvement produces tinnitus, deafness and vertigo. The 5th, 8th and 10th nerves and even the upper cervical spinal nerve can be involved presumedly on the base of spread of the infective process along anastomotic connections between the facial nerve. The facial paralysis is identical to that of Bells palsy. Frequently the recovery of facial nerve function is incomplete, leaving the patient with some residual facial weak ness. We experienced 2 cases of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. The first patients, 55 year old male, visited our pain clinic on the day when his left facial nerve start to paralyze. We injected 6 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine into his left stellate ganglion 15 times. TENS was also applicated simultaneously. His facial paralysis was recovered completely 3 weeks after treatment without any complications. Another one, 53 year old male, visited us 7 weeks after onset of facial paralysis. He has been treated conventional oriental method(acupuncture, massage, warm application, etc). But the degree of his left facial paralysis didn't improve at all He has been treating with SGB 50 times and TENS for 2 months. Temporal and zygomatic branch of his left facial nerve recovered nearly completely but buccal and mandibular branch did not recover completely. We are willing to insist on the early treatment is the best choice in managing of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome.

Ramsay Hunt 증후군으로 확진된 환자 2예를 경험하였다. 첫 예인 경우 안면신경마비가 발생하던 날 바로 방문하여 대상포진에 대한 치료와 환측 성상신경절 차단 15회, TENS, 안면운동 훈련 반복 등으로 발병 후 3주만에 완전 치유 되었으며, 두번째 환자는 발병 후 7주일 후에 방문하여 대상포진에 대한 치료는 생략하고 안면신경마비에 대한 치료라고 사료되는 환측 성상신경절 차단 50회, TENS 수백회, 안면운동 훈련 반복시행하였으나 부분적인 회복을 하였을 뿐이다. 그러므로 Ramsay Hunt 증후군의 치료도 다른 여러 질환과 마찬가지로 조기에 치료하면 회복이 빠르고 거의 완전하며, 늦어질수록 예후가 좋지 않다는 것을 경험하였다. 두 예 모두에서 대상포진 후 신경통으로의 이행은 없었다.